The RBI partially lifted its digital ban on HDFC Bank, allowing the bank to issue new credit cards again, though restrictions on its new digital offerings remain. Israel fired missiles at sites in southern Syria near the border, with reports of explosions in an area with a strong presence of Iranian-backed militias. Afghanistan's former Vice President Saleh declared himself the legitimate caretaker President and vowed to continue fighting the Taliban.

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 AUGUST 2021
Dr.A.PRABAHARAN
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2. RBI PARTIALLY LIFTS DIGITAL BAN ON HDFC BANK
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 18, 2021 partially
lifted the digital ban on HDFC Bank. The move has allowed
the bank to start issuing new credit cards again.
• The comes as a huge relief to the private lender, as it was
placed under an embargo by the regulator in December
2020 that banned it from issuing new credit cards.
• The restrictions on the bank’s new offering under its Digital
2.0 strategy will however remain. The HDFC Bank said in a
statement, “the Reserve Bank of India has lifted the
restriction placed on sourcing of new credit cards”.
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3. ISRAEL FIRES MISSILES IN SOUTHERN SYRIA, EXPLOSIONS
HEARD IN QUNEITRA: SYRIA STATE MEDIA
• Syrian State Media has reported that Israel on August 17, 2021, carried out a
missile attack on Southwestern Syria targeting an unspecified military
position. There was no comment from the Israeli Government.
• The State Media reported that the explosions were heard in Quneitra province
in Southwestern Syria near the border with Israel. It is an area where the
military defectors say Iranian-backed militias are dug in.
• The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war
monitor, informed that the missiles struck areas where Iran-backed fighters are
based.
• The area where the United Nations peacekeepers maintain a long-standing
ceasefire between Israel and Syria has a strong presence of Iranian-backed
militias led by the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
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4. AFGHANISTAN’S FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT AMRULLAH SALEH
DECLARES HIMSELF 'CARETAKER PRESIDENT'
• Afghanistan's First Vice President Amrullah Saleh
declared himself as the legitimate caretaker President of
Afghanistan on Tuesday, 17 August 2021. Saleh
announced that he is in the country and vowed a new
fight with the Taliban.
• The former Afghan Vice President tweeted saying, "I will
never, ever & under no circumstances bow to d Talib
terrorists. I will never betray d soul & legacy of my hero
Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend & the
guide. I won't dis-appoint millions who listened to me. I
will never be under one ceiling with Taliban. NEVER."
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5. VRIKSHAROPAN ABHIYAN 2021 BY COAL MINISTRY TO BE
LAUNCHED ON AUGUST 19
• The Ministry of Coal in India is set to launch the Vriksharopan Abhiyan
2021 on August 19, 2021, as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav.
Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs will
launch the Abhiyan via video conferencing in the presence of Raosaheb
Patil Danve, Minister of State for Coal, Mines, and Railways.
• The coal/lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of the Ministry of Coal,
Government of India has an ambitious target under the Go Greening drive
to bring 2,385 hectares of land under bio-reclamation or plantation.
• The Abhiyan is expected to give the right stimulus to the Go
Greening drive and thereby connecting more than 300 plantation sites in
and around coalfields in India.
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6. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS WOMEN TO APPEAR FOR
NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY (NDA) EXAM
• In a groundbreaking judgement, Supreme Court has permitted women
to take the NDA exam. The apex court on August 18, 2021, slammed
the Indian Army for not allowing women to take part in the National
Defence Academy entrance exams and called the army’s policy
decision gender discriminatory.
• With the apex court order, women will now be able to appear for
the NDA exam which is scheduled for September 5, 2021. Supreme
Court further stated that the admissions will be subjected to the final
orders of the court.
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7. PM MODI CHAIRS CABINET MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN, ASKS
OFFICIALS TO ENSURE SAFE EVACUATION OF INDIANS
• As Afghanistan comes under the rule of Taliban, the countries around the
world are figuring out ways to ensure the safe evacuation of their citizens,
officials, diplomats who have been stuck in a war-torn country.
• Prime Minister Modi on August 17, 2021, also chaired a meeting of the
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to discuss the ongoing Afghanistan
crisis.
• In the meet, the Prime Minister has instructed all the officials to
undertake the required measures for the safe evacuation of the Indian
Nationals from Afghanistan in the coming days.
• The High-level cabinet meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Home Minister Amit Shah.
• The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who is out of the country, was
unable to attend the meeting.
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8. WHAT IS NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION LAUNCHED BY PM
MODI ON 15TH AUGUST 2021?
• PM Narendra Modi on August 15, 2021, launched the National
Hydrogen Mission on India’s 75th Independence Day.
• The Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate
targets and making India a green hydrogen hub, said PM Modi
during his Independence speech from the Red Fort.
• “India is not energy independent,” he added. Currently, India
spends over Rs 12 lakh crore on importing energy.
• The government aims to make India an energy-independent
country before 100 years of independence is completed.
• Given the favorable geographic landscape and availability of
natural elements of India, the country has a huge edge in
effectively integrating renewable energy sources into its
energy mix.
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9. ALIGARH TO BE RENAMED AS HARIGARH? ALIGARH ZILA
PANCHAYAT PASSES NEW PROPOSAL TO RENAME CITY
• The Zila Panchayat Parishad of Aligarh passed a resolution on
August 16, 2021 seeking to rename Aligarh as Harigarh.
• The proposal was passed unanimously by the newly elected
district panchayat in its first meeting.
• The proposal has now been sent to the Uttar Pradesh
government, which will take the final decision.
• This was informed by the local body's chief.
• If the proposal to rename Aligarh is cleared by the Yogi
Adityanath-led UP government, it would add to a long list of
places that have been renamed under his rule, the most
prominent being the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj, a few
months before the Kumbh Mela in January 2019.
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10. SMART HEALTH CARDS LAUNCHED IN ODISHA
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Smart Health Cards for
3.5 crore people in the state after hoisting the National Flag on the
occasion of 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2021.
• The smart health cards have been announced under the Biju Swasthya
Kalyan Yojana.
• The initiative aims to transform the health service delivery system of not
only the state but also create history in the health sector of the Country.
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the move will usher in a
new era in the state's health sector. The Chief Minister said, "all the
people of the entire Odisha are my family.
• The news of people selling land, jewellery or stop sending children to
school to manage their treatment costs pains me. Therefore I decided
that this type of distress must go."
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11. TAMIL NADU BECOMES THIRD STATE TO PRESENT SEPARATE
AGRICULTURAL BUDGET, FULFILLS POLL PROMISE
• The DMK Government in Tamil Nadu, in sync with its poll promise, presented a
separate agricultural budget in Tamil Nadu Assembly on August 14, 2021.
• With this, Tamil Nadu has become the third state to present a separate farm
budget.
• The budget by the Tamil Nadu Government exclusively featured agricultural
schemes for the overall development of the farm sector, including one for
farm growth and self-sufficiency in the villages.
• While presenting the budget, the Minister for Agriculture and farmers’
Welfare M R K Panneerselvam informed that the views of the farmers and the
experts were sought and that the budget was prepared on the basis of their
views.
• This was the first time that a separate budget on agriculture was presented in
Tamil Nadu.
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